Absolutely!! I love sharing my story about how I became hooked on quilting and the two books that most influenced my progression to where I am today.

Here are the two books that I always keep close at hand and I’m really surprised that I have never misplaced them over the years . . . and we’re talking a few years here!

Flashback, if you will, to 1979 . . . I’d just graduated, just moved into my own house and had my first job . . . something intrigued me about quilts and quilting. My artistic side appreciated the designs and my creative side itched to give this “thing” a try.

I also loved books and this led me to order this particular book - “Let’s make a patchwork Quilt” by Jessie MacDonald and Marian Shafer/Doubleday Books/Copyright 1980.

I even have the bagful of blocks that I made using the directions in this book . . . they have followed to three different house now and every so often they get dragged out to get the dust blown off. Talk about a walk-down-memory-lane! Look at those colors and the fabrics . . . mostly poly-cottons purchased at the local B.A. Robinson Store – sometimes, if you were lucky, you could grab a bag of remnants that somehow managed to get shipped in. What a far cry from today’s method of finding fabrics!!!

I remember pouring over every page and had grand plans to make each and every block that was in that book. It started with the beginner blocks which introduced piecing (pre-rotary cutter type!) and then moved into an intro to applique – I love my Sunbonnet Sue . . . she’s from the early 80’s!!!

Then the instructions moved into more advanced piecing and doing curved piecing. I think I managed most of the piecing ones, but by the time I was ready to move on to curved piecing I had discovered Eleanor Burns on satellite and my quilting endeavors moved in a totally different direction from there.

I even went so far as giving hand quilting a try . . . gotta love those even stitches . . .

But . . . this is my favorite book and has been for years and years and years.

“101 Patchwork Patterns” by Ruby McKim - originally published in 1931 and then this Dover edition which was published in 1962.

I’ve been puzzled, intrigued and inspired by many of the blocks in this book. The descriptions as to suggestions for making a quilt from each of the blocks in the book makes for a good read, plus all the other tidbit stories that are included – I LOVE THIS BOOK!

It’s my go-to-book for research and ideas of what blocks may work with other blocks; it’s my . . .

. . . keeper of little drawings from a bygone era . . .

. . . as well as little sketches from who knows when and why-for any way . . .

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